Star Trek 3 Plot: 10 Moral Dilemmas From The Show That Could Be Resurrected
6. Social Development In The Federation Or Who Cleans The Toilets?
You know, ever since the TOS episode, The Cloud-Minders, Ive always been curious about more information on Gene Roddenberrys vision of the egalitarianism of the Federation. Even in Star Trek: TNG we see Picard getting his hair cut (well, trimmed) by a barber who he is irritated by, and in the re-booted Star Trek, Kirk still has to pay for drinks using currency and Star Fleet Security (aka Shore Patrol) still needs to enforce the law, stop bar fights and take people into custody. So, is money still a major pursuit of human civilization in the re-booted universe or has this also been thrown out by J.J. Abrams? The question needs to be asked: just how has humanity advanced socially in the 23rd century? If the bar fight scene is any indication that humans havent advanced as much as Rodenberry would have liked for his creation, then Abrams and Payne need to demonstrate some minimal degree that humanity is not just a futuristic version of the morality that we have in the present. I, for one, would like to believe that we are capable of some type of moral growth in the future that allows us the wisdom to use space flight in some sort of noble endeavour. If the re-boot cant replace what Roddenberry provided in the first place, then itll be hard to believe that the Federation is any better than the political structures we have in place today. Thats a major dilemma in terms of the very nature of Star Trek that binds fans together. Star Trek represents a Utopian future that people can believe in and can aspire to. If this element is missing from the re-booted franchise then it diminishes the value of Roddenberrys work, and thats something that will have to be addressed in the third film.
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
